Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

So were are in: 1. recession (which is past due) and a price war for oil sales - yesterday WCS oil (Western Canadian Select - aka Alberta tar sand heavy crude) was under $12 per barrel (and they need $40 per barrel to make money)

2. coronovirus - which by itself is bad but

3. governments run by incompetent people - notably Mexico (you thought I would say Trump - hah!). yes - President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is doing almost nothing vs the virus so it will be a big mess there. He's bragging good luck charms will protect him as he goes around shaking hands and kissing babies. https://time.com/5807102/mexico-coronav ... trictions/

so 4. the USA border with Mexico will be almost closed - so farm workers won't go to California and Florida and Ontario. Last year 20% of fruit and veg didn't picked due to lack of farm labour. THIS year will be a lot worse so the grocery store will have higher prices or low on stock. Given that 80% of fruit/veg we eat - especially in winter - comes from California - get ready.

This might help save the planet, apparently in Italy and China have better air quality than in years due to the shutting down of industry and travel.
I also thought that Trump said something sensible when he said to make sure the cure isn't worse than the disease! I am really concerned that many minimum wage part time 2 job folks will not get called back if businesses find they can manage with shorter opening hours and fewer overheads.

More people will go back to buying local - groceries and other things - and that could be good. Also, maybe more people will go back to growing their own gardens, and that could be a good thing.

If anything good eventually comes out of this maybe it will be that more people will look to buy more local and be more self-sufficient. Some of the people trying to fight their local bylaws to allow backyard chickens can maybe use this as pandemic and the food hording, in their case for "home grown" eggs. I know I am going to use this situation as the kick in the butt I needed to get more vegetable garden beds set up at our place.

Unfortunately I fear once this is over many people will just go back to their same old ways. Many people forget. I know a few people that were on cruises just before all the cruise ship issues, and they have already booked another cruise for this Fall, because they could save a few hundred dollars. No thanks.

@baronrenfrew WCS oil was $7.23 a barrel today, you are a resourceful guy... how is your knowledge of cracking heavy crude? Gasoline is cheap right now, but at $7.23 for a barrel of crude, make your own gasoline might be worth a try. lol

@JimW I am still fighting our Bylaw which changed in the previous term to prohibit any livestock (including kids bunnies) on under 10 acres.
I guess the planning B***h won't be getting eggs if she comes around begging LOL!

Cabbagetown is a neighbourhood in Toronto full of European immigrants that did grow cabbages in their front yards. Now, they are not allowed to plant cabbages in front!

JimW - WCS oil is at $4.15 per barrel! they are talking about negative oil prices - in other words to PAY someone to take the oil! To shut down some tar sands projects is almost impossible (for short periods) as they now steam the ground so to allow the earth to cool and restart would take outrageous amounts of energy.

Killerbunny wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:53 am

@JimW I am still fighting our Bylaw which changed in the previous term to prohibit any livestock (including kids bunnies) on under 10 acres.
I guess the planning B***h won't be getting eggs if she comes around begging LOL!

I would have expected you to say under 3 acres, not 10!
And bunnies... we had one insurance agent wanting to know exactly how many bunnies we would have at a time. After all, everyone knows how fast bunnies can multiply. So far we haven't had any bunnies.

baronrenfrew wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 30, 2020 2:16 pm

Cabbagetown is a neighbourhood in Toronto full of European immigrants that did grow cabbages in their front yards. Now, they are not allowed to plant cabbages in front!

JimW - WCS oil is at $4.15 per barrel! they are talking about negative oil prices - in other words to PAY someone to take the oil! To shut down some tar sands projects is almost impossible (for short periods) as they now steam the ground so to allow the earth to cool and restart would take outrageous amounts of energy.

You know what those European immigrants did with all that cabbage, right? Sauerkraut! Excellent for the digestion with all those probiotics. DH makes it almost every year.

@baronrenfrew yep I saw the prices on Monday it is crazy. It would not surprize me if Alberta oil companies end up having to give oil away or pay someone to take it. My buddy is currently driving transport in Alberta and has access to a oil tanker trailer, if you ever want a tanker trailer of crude oil. lol. I think Alberta was too comfortable for too many years when oil prices were high and never diversified their energy sector enough relying too much on oil sands "tar" which is just not cost effective to take out of the ground.

Grocery store 2020...Veggie seed shortage, young livestock demand outstripping supply, people stealing poultry... SO glad I save loads of seed, and hatch loads of eggs. Got the greenhouse from the land two days ago (not the one with the chicken coops) and that's going up early next week so some of the overflow of started plants in my kitchen can start moving outside before they become too expensive to keep lit. Doubling down on the gardens this year so I not only have enough for myself, but also lots to spread around.